Liste der Bands Symphonic Black Juno Bloodlust Oriental Abyss

Having focussed too much on Indian black metal bands recently, it's refreshing to turn our attention for once to the other part of Asia, namely South Korea and Japan. Oriental Abyss is a 5-way split featuring Appartion and Aek Gwi from South Korea, and Fenrisulf, Juno Bloodlust and Svar Fra Hedensk (now known as Fra Hedensk Tid) from Japan.

Apparition begins this 5 way aural assault with 3 tracks of blistering black metal. The rumbling thunder in the background gives way to a frenzy drumming as Appartion introduces the listener to their brand of music. Musin Chiu's (mastermind of the band) tormented vocals torture the listener, at times making the listener feel as if he were trapped in a nightmare, or a psych ward with no way to escape. The opening tack, A Souls of Black Knight is but an introduction of what's to come, as Apparition displays their insanity in the following tracks. The sound of waves crashing and the acoustic introduction to ???? is a prelude of what could possibly be one of the best depressive black metal that I have chanced upon.

The music is a slow down in tempo compared to A Souls of Black Knight, and Musin Chiu's vocals are filled with pain and despair. The sound of a crying baby in the background towards the end is then pierced with the crazed shrieking and screaming, sending a chill down the spine of anyone who dares to listen this in the dead of the night while walking down a dark path - it's a sure way to test your ability to keep sane. Not forgetting the primitive and at times inconsistent beats of the drums, adding on to the rawness and the chaotic mood of the music of Apparition.

The splitting sound effects of the cymbals, especially on closing track ??? add on to the haunting atmosphere, leaving the listener not knowing what to expect. ??? provides a suitable end before moving on to Aek Gwi's side of the split, a track slightly exceeding 10 minutes that brings one final moment of creeping the listener out, complete with haunting guitar lines, creaking doors and a weeping woman in the background, before ending off to a chanting and sounds of a tolling bell in a monastery.

It was now up to Aek Gwi to carry on the flag of South Korean black metal. They begin their set with the sound of rain in the background before a sharp and piercing guitar line breaks the calm, followed by insanely fast double bass pedal-fuelled drums. Unlike Apparition's style of black metal, Aek Gwi chooses to go at breakneck speeds, with the longest track clocking in only at slightly more than 5 minutes. The band slightly disappoints though, with similar drumming patters both on tracks ?? and ???, which could at times seem as if Aek Gwi run out of ideas. Fortunately, on ?? there is a shift in pace, bringing a refreshing experience once again. The undecipherable vocals of Vhan adds on to the sinister feel of the music, with his seemingly random growls in the middle of the closing track ??.

With the Koreans done with their side, it was now up to the Japanese to uphold the name of oriental black metal.

Fenrisulf begins their side with a melodic take on black metal, with the acoustic guitar line before a melodic riff begins. Syuri's vocals sound as if he were on the verge of vomitting, yet this isn't the highlight of the music as he breaks out into a seemingly random screech in the middle of their opening track Sad End II, instantly creeping the listener out, leaving him to wonder what's going on before going back to their usual melodic style as if nothing happened, before breaking into another shriek section after the halfway point of the song. This will not be the only such instance, as throughout Fenrisulf's side of the split, Syuri constantly breaks out into random screeching sections, especially on Eternal Separation, backed by the depressive guitar lines.

Juno Bloodlust surprises the listener, being the band with the most polished production on the split. The symphonic style of black metal is reminiscent of Taiwan's Anthelion on their debut album, complete with the insane speed that the band goes at and the haunting keyboards at the background. The orchestration such as on Total Eclipse, Sinister Prophet brings fellow countrymen Sigh to mind. However, Juno Bloodlust adds their own unique elements such as haunting female background vocals to boost the atmosphere of the music. Total Eclipse... is also the first song on this release to feature a guitar solo, and it is fortunately well-executed with flavour.

The harmonised sweeping- lead guitars also add a nice touch to the music. In addition to providing the symphonic elements of the music, the keyboards also take the lead at times such as on In This Coffin of Immortelles. I have to say though, being a non-fan of symphonic black metal, Juno Bloodlust has certainly left a lasting impression, or perhaps it is just simply because of the fact that they are from the land of the rising sun. Perhaps it is because unlike most symphonic metal bands that forsake speed for atmosphere, Juno Bloodlust has given equal priorities to both elements, making their contributions an extremely enjoyable listen.

Svar Fra Hedensk closes the split with their extremely raw take on black metal. The production quality causes the vocals to slightly be drowned out by the rest of the instruments, with the drums being slightly overpowering at times, especially on the blast beats section which causes the songs to slightly falter. Fortunately the guitars aren't drowned out (taking the higher parts of the mix together with the drums) so this doesn't end up becoming a drums-blasting fest. The programmed drums however, becomes more apparent on the second track ?? with the artificial blasting, further bringing down the experience of Svar Fra Hedensk's side of the split. The abrupt endings to both songs also leave the listener hanging midair, and leaves him thinking about what the fuck just happened.

While some parts of the split do cause it to become slightly less enjoyable, Appartion's and Juno Bloodlust's contributions certainly bring up the quality of the split. Certainly highly recommended for people who are curious to find out more about the different forms of black metal that Asia is able to churn out.

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